Maritime Feasibility Study

The goal

A potential application of iron fuel is large scale maritime transport. In late 2018, the Maritiem Kennis Centrum took notice of iron fuels and initiated a techno-economic feasibility study into the potential of iron fuels in the maritime sector. Early 2019, Nederland Maritiem Lang (NML) and the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy honored a subsidy to start carrying out this research. The feasibility study was executed by SOLID in collaboration with Eindhoven University of Technology, Maritiem Kennis Centrum, MARIN and the Dutch Defense Academy and was reviewed by a broad spectrum of maritime companies.

Our approach

The study examined the technologic feasibility of using iron as a shipping fuel by studying the adjustments needed to use the fuel on existing ships. Based on the technological assessment, multiple system designs and models were formed to calculate the dimensions of future iron fuel ships. Three different use cases of different ships were assed economically. The study concluded that iron fuel is a viable option to decarbonize several types of ships.